It's All a Game
by Jamie042304
Summary: After all of the resets, Seven snaps. He tries to find answers, but to no avail. Then, MC slips up. / TRIGGER WARNING: TALK OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE!
1. Chapter One

Ever since he experienced the first few resets, Seven knew that everything wasn't as it seemed. He couldn't figure out what was happening, and so he tried to figure out the truth.

He went to V's apartment to see if he knew anything about it.

~

"I'm sorry, Luciel. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Haven't you noticed that the same week has been playing over and over? None of this is real! I _can't_ be the only one who remembers everything!"

"I'm sorry, Luciel. I really _don't_ know what you mean..."

~

Seven has tried to talk to the other members to see if they had any idea, but they all looked at him as if he was crazy. He witnessed the days pass over and over again. Some things would change, like who MC would fall in love with, which was practically everyone except for him. As he watched her through the CCTV and talked with her in the chatroom, he started developing feelings for her, which didn't bother him. Until the fifth day came...

On that day, MC would choose someone who wasn't him and would lift them up and encourage them. She would tell them how much she loved them and they would be happy until it all reset.

He was happy as long as they didn't hurt her, but at the same time, he could feel his heart break a little every single day. He was angry and depressed. Why didn't she never choose him? Was he not good enough, or did she like them more than she did him?

One day, Seven decided to check into the chatroom after working for a few hours. Zen was talking about his strange dream again where MC was a programmed robot. Seven had seen it numerous times, but still thought that it was hilarious to read.

 _Zen has entered the chatroom._

 **Zen: Oh, hey MC. I fell asleep while working out just now. But my dream was so weird I can't forget about it. Can I ask you a weird question? Do you have fun reading our conversations?**

 **MC: Why are you asking me that?**

 **Zen: So, in the dream I just had, you were an imaginary person. It was convincing because we've never seen your face or heard your voice. The thought that you might be a robot saying programmed things crossed my mind. Maybe Seven's just tricking all of us? Maybe he's trying to truck us by creating an imaginary person called MC?**

 **MC: To be honest, I'm using an app that only lets me say programmed things.**

Seven's grip on his phone completely loosened once he finished reading the last sentence. He heard it clatter on the floor, but didn't pick it up right away for he was in total shock. The words kept replaying in his head over and over again. He felt a chill run up and down his spine and the color drain from his face. He picked up his phone and another thing she said caught his attention.

 **MC: We might both be robots.**

His head was spinning. He couldn't believe what he was reading. She had never shown signs that she knew what was happening up until that point. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. If she fell in love with a different person every day, then perhaps _she_ was the one causing the resets.

Seven grabbed his car keys and headed to the garage. He wanted to confront her about everything, if she knew what was happening, why she never picked him, all of it. He wanted to know if she knew what happened to Saeran...

He walked towards the front door, and as he turned the handle, everything went black. When he woke up, he was sitting in his chair once again.


	2. Chapter Two

"What the hell? Why am I back here?" He screamed.

He grabbed his keys again and opened the door, but the same thing happened again. He didn't understand why. Perhaps he wasn't supposed to leave yet. Something was keeping him prisoner in his own house.

"I've never tried to leave before the fifth day. _Something_ about the fifth day is important..." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I guess I'll have to wait.

~

A few days passed, and he visited the chatroom less and less. He programmed it so his normal messages would send automatically. He didn't feel like talking to MC or to any of the other members. All he wanted was to be able to leave and confront her.

He wasn't sure that she was the one causing the resets, or that she knew anything about it, but he had to check.

He watched the clock imaptiently as it turned to 12 AM.

"The fifth day." He breathed.

He snatched the keys off of his computer desk and ran out the door. When he got to his garage was when he realized that he was right. All of the rules faded on the fifth day. He picked the fastest out of all of his precious babies and raced towards Rika's apartment.

He slammed open the door to find MC sitting on the couch talking in the messenger.

"Seven. W-what are you doing here?" She looked at him. "Is this even possible?" She whispered.

"What?" He closed the door behind him. "What do you mean? Why _wouldn't_ this be possible?" He walked closer to the couch.

She moved away from him, he was scaring her. "You must've heard me wrong. I didn't say anything like that." With a few more steps, she found her back against the wall.

"What do you know about the resets?" He asked.

Her eyes became wider, "What resets?"

"Oh. So you _do_ know what I'm talking about." Their faces were inches away from each other. "Why does the same week keep playing over and over?" He was practically screaming.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Liar! You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! Now tell me! Why does everything keep resetting and why am I the only one who remembers?"

"It's all a game!" She blurted.

 **Hey, I plan on uploading two chapters at a time. Please be patient and thank you guys for reading! Please leave comments. I would love to hear your opinions! :)**


	3. Chapter Three

He stepped back from her in shock. "What do you mean 'it's all a game'?"

"I... I'm not real. I'm only an avatar in a game called Mystic Messenger."

With the last word, the ground shook and they both fell.

"My real name is not MC and this isn't what I actually look like!" She screamed across the room. "Your whole life is part of a game! It's all in my phone!"

The floor split in half, and when Seven looked down at it, all he saw was space. He looked back up at her. If he could even call them that. His whole life was shaken up at those few words.

"How-how is that possible?" He yelled.

"Is hard to explain but Seven, I just have to tell you that I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for everything! I don't know why you remember everything, _that_ I can't explain! But once this is all over, I'll tell you all of it!"

"What do you mean 'once this is all over'? MC! What's about to happen?"

And then, right before his eyes, she disappeared and the apartment was put back together. He was there all alone with his swirling thoughts. He couldn't process any of what she said. Then, he blacked out and woke up in his bed.

He sat straight up and grabbed his head. "What in the _fuck_ just happened? Why-why am I here? I was at Rika's apartment that was ripped open with MC who just... disappeared." He gasped, "MC!" He grabbed his phone and started typing in the chatroom.

 _707 has entered the chatroom._

 **707: MC! ARE YOU THERE CAN YOU HEAR ME?!**

 **MC: Seven, what's wrong? Is everything okay?**

 **707: What do you mean? Do you not remember what happened at Rika's apartment?**

 **MC: No. What happened?**

 **707: Nothing. Everything is fine.**

That was not what he meant to type. His fingers moved to those letters without meaning to. Something was _forcing him_ to pretend that nothing happened.

"It's the game." He realized. "This... none of this is real. I'm not real, Yoosung's not real, Jaehee's not real... _Saeran's_ not real..." He felt his heart drop from his chest to his stomach at the last statment.

 _707 has left the chatroom._

His whole life was a lie. None of it happened, yet it did. Everything his mother did, everything his father did, everything that happened with the agency. Nothing.

"WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE TO REMEMBER?! TAKE THIS CURSE AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed until his lungs gave out and he started crying. "Saeran..." He whispered.

Eventually, he fell asleep.

At 12 PM his computer chimed. "It is the seventh day." It said. "Four more days until the party."

He groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Shut up stupid, fake computer." He pressed the space bar on his keyboard to shut it off.

He didn't like drinking because of his mother, but at that point he was too depressed to care.

 _707 has entered the chatroom._

 **707: Hey, Zen.**

 **Zen: Hey, Seven. Is everything alright? Why did you sound so scared yesterday?**

 **707: Yeah, everything's fine. Listen, can I come over real quick? I need to be around someone right now.**

 **Zen: Yeah. But are you SURE everything's fine?**

 **707: Yep. Don't worry! :)**

 _707 has left the chatroom._


	4. Chapter Four

Seven knocked on the door of Zen's house, hoping that he had some liquor.

"Seven. You look upset, what's wrong?" Zen asked once he opened the door.

"Nothing. Do you have any alcohol?"

Zen's eyes widened. "Alcohol? You never drink. What's going on?"

"So you _don't_ have any?" Seven ignored him. "I'll just go ask Jumin or Jaehee." He turned around to leave.

"Hey. You can talk to me. Whatever is going on, I am here for you." Zen put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you are. But it doesn't matter. It'll all just reset..." He walked away and back to his car.

()

Without any warning, Seven knocked on Jumin's door next.

"Seven. What are you doing here? Is something wrong with MC?" He asked.

"Oh. So _you're_ the one she fell in love with... Uh, no. She's fine. I just came by to borrow some alcohol. Do you have any?"

"I do, but I am _not_ letting you drink when you're this depressed." He told him. "And what do you mean she fell in love with me? We hardly ever talk."

"Really? Oh. Well, I promise not to drink too much."

"Seven, go home. Please don't do this to yourself."

Seven sighed. "Fine."

"Actually, why don't you go see MC? She's the most optimistic out of all of us. If anyone can cheer you up, it's her."

"Yeah. Thanks Jumin." Seven walked back to his car.

MC was the last person that he wanted to see. It was all because of her. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have realized that his life was a lie. He wondered that if she hadn't played the game... would he be there? Would he exist?

He didn't even bother going to Yoosung's. He only drank on especially rare occassions and when he did, he'd have to go out and buy it. With some trouble. They never believed him when he told the cashier his age. Even with identification. Plus, he would just ask a lot of questions that Seven wasn't in the mood to answer.

Jaehee was the same. Even with all of the stress that she's constantly under with working for Jumin, she hardly ever drank. She was also extremely caring, just like the rest of the members. So many questions... not enough energy.

"I guess MC is the best option at this point." He sighed. "I just want to go, drink, and get the fuck out."

He knocked on the door to Rika's apartment and MC answered.

"Seven!" She exclaimed. "I-is there something you need?"

"Do you have any liquor?" He asked, obviously emotionally drained.

"Yeah, but, why do you need it? You don't drink."

He pushed past her. "Like you know anything about me. I just came here for the alcohol. So, no small talk. I'll get it and leave."

She closed the door. "I don't trust you to drink when you're like this. If you're going to drink, I will supervise you." She walked over to the kitchen, "Now sit down. I'll get it for you."

He sighed and sat on the couch.

She brought over two glasses of wine, and a paper with some writing on it.

"What is this?" Seven asked.

"Just read it." She said. She sounded kind of scared.

He was confused, but could sense the fear in her voice so he read it more carefully.

 **"The game is trying to control you. I can't verbally tell you, so this is the only way. I apologize for acting weird, but if I tried to explain everything, the game would crash. You all would disappear, and so would I... Ask whatever questions you have on this paper. I'll try to answer them the best I can."**

He looked back up at her with shock. "MC... wh-"

"Don't say anything!" She covered his mouth with her hand. "Write it on the paper."

He put the glass of wine down on the coffee table and picked up the pen.

He had so many questions that he didn't know where to start. What happened to Saeran? Why could he remember when no one else could? Why did the same week reset? What the _hell_ was "the game"? He finally settled on one.

/\

 **Hey, you guys. Jamie042304 here. I apologize for the time gaps and the length of the chapters. I thought I had it all figured out, but apparently I didn't. *nervous laughter* I am still uploading two chapters at a time. If you have anything you'd like to say, PLEASE comment! I love to hear your opinions! Bye, and thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Chapter Five

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SEVEN'S ROUTE!!**

/\

 **"Why am I the only one who remembers? Am I a mistake in the program or something?"**

He handed the paper back to her, and she set her glass of wine down.

 **"I don't know. But I wouldn't call you a mistske. A glitch maybe? I mean, other than me, you're the only other one I've come across."**

She sat quietly as he read it.

 **"What is "the game"? You said it was something called "Mystical Messenger" right?"**

 **"'Mystic Messenger.' It's a romance game with a bit of a twist. It's basically everything you've experienced and more. I learn more about you all, and on the 5th day, I fall in love with someone (except for Jaehee the straighty) and I help them be happier. On the 11th day, it all resets and their memories are wiped."**

 **"Oh. I'm still having a bit of trouble wrapping my head around this...** **do** **you know what happened to Saeran? Do you even know who he is?"**

 **"I have some idea... I went on social media and saw some of the spoilers. He's working with Mint Eye... they brainwashed him. I'm so sorry, Seven..."**

He sat in silence with his head towards the floor.

"The special security system will be acti- acti- act... act..." A woman's voice said.

"What?" Seven got up and looked at the panel next to the front door.

MC ran to the bedroom when she heard glass breaking. Seven was still occupied with the panel.

"God... I didn't plan on making a sound but I suppose I failed on that. Hey, miss just stay there. You'll hurt your feet if you step on glass. I'm climbing over the window."

MC saw a man who had white hair with pink tips climb through the bedroom window. He seemed a little familiar, but she couldn't place him. He was wearing a mask.

"Do you know who I am?" He was standing a foot in front of her.

"The hacker...?!" She realized.

"Smart lady. You might be able to understand me then. Wow, it feels so strange to see it like this. Do you know that? I'm the one who first talked to you about that missing phone. I left that strange message a couple days ago... and I'm the one who sent that email. How was the email I sent? It is an invitation. Our paradise, where everyone is happy. Magenta of hopes and dreams. I've come to take you there... the RFA is only filled with false hope. Especially those men named V and Luciel, they are all lying. I will explain everything once we get to Magenta." He walked closer towards her.

"What are you talkingtalking about? I'm not going anywhere!"

"Sorry, but you don't have any say. You entered the RFA because of me. And thanks to me, you'll be able to get out. You may not understand this now... but this is all for us to live in heaven. You will be happy in the end too." He grabbed MC's arm.

"I'm not going anywhere! Seven! Help me!"

"I expected you to resist... but you yelling out that-"

"MC!" Seven called and rushed to the bedroom.

"Shit! Why? Why are you here?! I thought I could finally put you in pain...!" The intruder exclaimed.

"You're the hacker, right? Guess you're not _completely_ shameless since you're covering yourself. You'll go to jail for breaking and entering. How did I not hear you come in? I must have been too preoccupied checking the security system." He looked at MC. "MC, be careful of the glass. You'll get hurt if you step on it." He looked back at the intruder. "First, why don't you let go of that lady over there? I hated that the agency made me go through physical training... but I guess it _did_ help." He said more to himself than anybody.

"Even now, all you do is just ruin my life..." The intruder said.

"Huh? You know me?" Confusion came across Seven's face. He had never met that person before. At least... he didn't _think_ he did.

"You probably don't know. I'm sure you've long forgotten about me." Seven watched as the man pulled down the cloth that covered his face. "You still don't know?"

"No way..." He breathed.

"I guess now you do."

"Seven, do you know him?" MC asked, obviously confused.

"That's... did you know about this?!" He yelled at MC.

"What? Seven, I don't know what you're talking about! Who is he? I can't see his face!"

"I prayed so that I wouldn't meet you. Because I knew seeing you would remind me of my pathetic life...!" The stranger said.

"What-what happened? Why are you...! Why are you here?! You're Saeran, right...?" Seven asked.

MC could hear his voice break and her eyes widened at the realization.

"Don't call me that. You don't deserve to say that name."

"You're the one who copied my algorithm...? God... when did you learn to hack?! Who taught you?"

"Shut up!" He yelled and pressed the gun he was holding up against MC's head.

"Why are you doing this? Rika told me that you..."

"You... don't you dare say that name."

"What?"

"Traitor! All the names you spit out will be contaminated, so shut up!"

"Something bad happened, right? That's why you're here? But Rika would never have lied to me...!"

The look of betrayal was displayed across his face. It made MC's heart hurt a little.

"You're the one lying. I can tell, don't pretend you don't know."

"I'm not lying!" Seven yelled.

"You're not? That promise about protecting me, about being together, all lies... even your last promise when you told me that we will be happy after escaping that hellish place was a lie. I remember all of them. I know that you changed your name to Luciel to get rid of me. Don't tell me you don't remember."

"That... I had no choice! It's all too much to explain now..."

"Shut up!" His grip on MC tightened and Seven noticed her flinch.

"What do you mean you had no choice...?" He chuckled. "Eat those pathetic lies of yours. You're uncontrollable. Covering lies with more lies... I knew you were lowly. My savior was right."

"'Savior'? Saeran, I don't know what people told you... but I thought you were doing well. I asked Rika to see a photo of you laughing. I knew I couldn't meet you but I always prayed for you to be happy..."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it. Stop lying!" He dug his nails into MC's arm.

She sucked air through her teeth and tightly closed her eyes.

"First... let MC go, and let's talk. Please? Let's take care of this together... you hate me right now, right? She has nothing to do with this."

"You're getting this wrong. I brought her here, so she's mine."

"There's no need to involve her in this! Don't do something to her because of me... please...!" The panic in his voice was clear.

"Hmm... do you have feelings for this girl or something?"

"I..." He looked at her with worried eyes, and then back to Saeran. "Even if I do, it's useless." His worried expression was replaced wih sadness.

"So you _do_ have feelings for her. I can read everything on your mind, you know. So I can just do whatever I want to this girl to make you suffer, right?"

"Seven! I... I love you!" She blurted.

"What...?" Seven asked, shocked.

"Love? I guess you two were being lovey dovey when I shivered in my loneliness." Saeran said.

"What? That's not it! MC, don't move!"

"Let me play with you guys, hmm?" He tugged on the back of her head.

She winced again and a tear rolled down her cheek from her teary eyes. She thought she was going to die.

"How will I play with you? If you want to be officially inducted, you'll have to go through training..." He grinned next to her ear. "Oh, a lot is coming to my mind..." He said as he looked at Seven, evilly.

"Saeran... just take me instead!" Seven exclaimed.

"A stranger has been located." They heard a woman's voice say from the living room.

"What is it saying?" Saeran asked.

"The special security system... I restarted it and it's only starting to work now..." Seven said.

"Sensed location of stranger... adjusting target." It said.

"It's sensing you as a stranger, Saeran." Seven told him.

"What?" He asked.

"The whole place will explode if we stay here like this. Get out of here!" Seven yelled.

"Backing up all information. After the back up is complete, the bomb will be activated. Twenty seconds left." The system said.

"We'll all die if we don't get out!" Seven yelled.

"Shit!" Saeran said.

"MC! Right now!" Seven told her.

She elbowed Saeran's side and headbutted him and ran to Seven who embraced her in his arms.

"Ten seconds left. Nine seconds."

"Saeran, why did we have to meet like this...?"

"Shit..."

"Six seconds. Five seconds."

"Get out! You'll die like this!"

"Shit... shit! I won't forgive you next time... I'll get payback for everything including today!" He rushed towards the broken window.

"Sensing stranger's movement. Readjusting target. Readjusting. Readjusting."

They both saw him climb out of the window.

"Stranger missing. Stop attack. The special security system is now under lookout mode."

"Thank god... it stopped." Seven said.

MC backed away slightly and looked up at him. "Seven, are you okay?" Her eyes were still wet with tears.

"I don't know... I don't think either of us are okay... god... shit..."

"That was your brother, right...?"

"Yes... MC, I'm sorry, but please keep what happened with him a secret. You can forget it completely... no, that will actually be better. Since it was a traumatic experience... don't tell anyone in the RFA about him... please."

She could tell that it was important. She also knew that if the RFA _did_ know, they'd start looking for him and go after him. They wouldn't only be in danger, but it would hurt Seven too...

"I won't. I promise."

"Thank you. I'll see the end to this for sure, so don't worry. I'm so, so sorry for putting you in danger. I should... finish rebuilding the special security system here."

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault." She reached up to stroke his arm and grabbed her own. "Ow..." She said, quietly.

"Did he hurt you? Where is it?"

"It's fine, Seven. It's not that big a deal."

"Let me see. I want to make sure you're not bleeding."

"Seven, I-"

"Let me see, MC!"

"I..." She sighed and took off her shirt to reveal the nail marks on her bicep. They were bleeding slightly.

"That-" Seven sighed. "I'll get you some Band-Aids. Wait here."

"I'm able to walk. You don't need to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he was looking around in the bathroom. She sat down on the bed and waited for him to get back.

"I also found some cream to help it not get infected. Let me see." He sat down next to her and applied the cream.

She lightly sucked air through her teeth.

He put the cap back on the container and placed the Band-Aid over the marks.

"MC... why did you say that you love me...?"

/\

 **Yes, the majority of this is from the actual game. It is important to the story, I promise. Also, I wrote a lot more so I'll be spamming them haha. The last one will take a while though so please be patient! ****Again, please leave comments! Even negative ones, I love hearing ways to improve my writing! Bye, and thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter Six

"I..." MC put her shirt back on. She was only wearing a bra and was very uncomfortable. The question wasn't helping either. "It was the first thing that popped into my head. I... I thought I was going to die." The tears reappeared in her eyes.

He hugged her, "It's okay, MC. He's gone now. He won't hurt you anymore. I'll make sure of it."

The person he was referring to was his brother. His _brother_! He shouldn't have had to say that. Saeran was supposed to be happy, he was supposed to be okay. How could Rika have lied to him? What else did she lie about? Was V in on it too? His thoughts then went back to another important part: MC said that she loved him. Did that mean it was finally his turn? Would she finally make him feel okay? Would he finally be... truly happy?

He looked into her eyes, "So you-you love me?"

"I... I guess so. Yeah... I'm sorry. You're just _really_ putting me on the spot here!" Her whole face was red.

"So the-" He stopped himself. They weren't allowed to talk about the game. He had almost forgot.

He walked over to the living room and brought the paper back with him.

 **"Why didn't you choose me before? Did you not like me? Did I do something wrong?"**

Her eyes widened as she read it.

"No, Seven! You did nothing wrong! I just-" She stopped abruptly and quickly wrote on the paper.

 **"I actually like you the best... and I was so afraid that I would mess it up somehow and hurt you. I didn't want to do that to you. I almost did that with Yoosung... I would never be able to forgive myself if I did...** "

 **"But you didn't even know me...?"**

 **"Whenever I was having a shitty day with my job or family, I'd open the game and there you were... happy and joking. It was and still is the best part of my day... it may sound stupid but it's true."**

 **"Did you know that Saeran was the hacker who brought you here?"**

 **"No. The only things I knew was that he's your brother and works for Mint Eye."**

 **"So you don't know about our past?"**

 **"No. Why? Is it important?"**

 **"No, it's not. I'd rather you not know, actually. There wouldn't be any point."**

"Anyway, I have to go and make sure the security system is fixed. I also need to find Mint Eye's location. I'll leave for my house really quick for my equipment and come back." He started to stand up, but MC grabbed his arm.

"No, please! Don't leave me here! You can't do that to me, Seven! Please! Please don't leave me here!" She cried. So many tears were streaming down her face.

"But I have to get my equipment."

"Then take me with you! Just please don't leave me alone!" She sobbed.

"Okay. I will. Just stop crying or people will think I broke up with you." He joked.

She lightly chuckled and wiped her tears. She took a deep breath, "Okay. I'm ready now."

They both stood up and he could feel her shake as she clung to his arm.

He couldn't help but think that it was his fault. If it weren't for her being involved with him, Saeran wouldn't have attacked her. Then again, it was a game, so did it actually happen? Did anything that transpired that night happen? Was she someone who was safely sitting on her phone in her bedroom? His head hurt at the thought.

Before he opened the door, he stopped. "Wait, are we allowed to leave?"

"What?"

"Sometimes if I left somewhere like my house, I would black out and wake up back there. So, is this safe?"

She sniffled, "It should be. And if it's not, you'll just wake up back at your house, right?"

"Yeah, but last time it happened, I was knocked out for two days."

"Oh..." They both stayed silent for a few seconds. "Try it anyway. You need your equipment, right? The only way to get it is to go to your house."

"True..." He hesitated before he decided. "Okay, here we go."


	7. Chapter Seven

MC's grip on his arm tightened as he turned the door handle.

It didn't make him feel any better. What would happen to her if he blacked out? Would Saeran come back and hurt her? Would the game end? If it did... what would happen to the RFA...?

Seven inhaled deeply before he pushed the door open. He was still there, completely fine, and she was still there, completely fine. Well, physically anyway.

"Okay, let's go." He said.

"Wait!" She pulled on his arm. "What if you black out when you leave?"

He chuckled. "It only happens when I turn the handle. If it doesn't happen then, then I'm fine. Now, come on. Let's go."

"Okay..."

It was strange seeing her like that. Before everything happened, she was happy and fine. She was supposedly an avatar in a game, and the real her was sitting on her phone. Another thing he wondered was, if MC loved him, was it fake? Were the words she ever said to anybody real, or were they programmed?

 _"To be honest, I'm using an app that only lets me say programmed things."_ That's what she told Zen, and it was proven to be true. Or was it...?

They finally got to his car, which was littered with empty bags of Honey Buddha Chips and PHD Pepper cans. There were some on the passenger's side that he tossed in the back and she slowly sat down. He made sure that she was settled and buckled before he drove off.

He'd catch himself dozing off and almost driving off of the road. So many things were racing through his head. None of these things had happened before on previous weeks. Was it new this time because... she finally loved him?

~

Even as they were walking up to the gate, she was still trembling. It broke his heart. He entered the numerous codes he had and after what seemed like forever, they were finally inside.

Vanderwood hadn't been by in a while, so the place was a mess. At his computer though, he left a note.

 **"When you wake up, get back to work. I don't know what the hell happened, but you can't be late on the deadline. You know what they'll do."**

Seven sighed. "Of course. With all of this going on, I forgot about my work." He looked down at MC who was scanning the house.

"You can sit here for a bit while I get my things together. Then we'll head back to Ri... _the_ apartment..." He didn't want to say her name anymore.

"Okay..." Her voice was so quiet that he could barely hear her. "Actually, don't you need to get your equipment from here? I'll only be in the way. I'll just sit on the couch..."

"No, the couch is a mess just like my car. You can wait in my room if you really want to."

"Thank you, Seven."

He pointed her in the right direction and he could hear the door open.

He sighed and started to gather up his things. As he was doing so, he checked the CCTV to see if anyone broke in again. Luckily, no one did.

He packed his laptop, his chords, and everything else that he would need.

Yes, there were still some questions left unanswered about his life, but the most important part was making sure that MC was safe.

"MC, I'm ready to go. Come on." He called.

She didn't answer.

"MC? Are you okay?"

He walked to his bedroom to see her passed out on the bed and bleeding from the nose.


	8. Chapter Eight

**_Mystic Messenger has stopped working._**

"What?" Jade sat up quickly and looked at her phone in confusion. "This has never happened before... what's wrong with it?"

She pressed the "OK" button that was next to "Report" and opened the app again. When she tried though, her screen would turn black and bring her back to the home screen.

"What? The last thing that happened was me and Seven went to his house and he was getting ready to go back to Rika's apartment. Why would the game crash? Is my phone overheating or something? Do I have a virus?"

She then thought of something that sent a shiver up and down her spine.

"Maybe talking about the game too much broke it. DAMN IT!" She pounded her fist into the matress. "I shouldn't have fucked up! I didn't think it would have any consequences or anything! It was just a few sentences!"

She groaned and set her phone down.

"I'll just try again tomorrow..."

She packed up her things and went to work.

IN MYSTIC MESSENGER

Seven kneeled beside the bed and pushed the hair out of MC's face.

"MC! MC, can you hear me?!" He shook her shoulders lightly. "Damn it." He ran to the bathroom and got some toilet paper to wipe away the blood from her nose. "God... please wake up. Please be okay..."

He put his head on the bed and shut his eyes.

This wasn't supposed to happen. What was wrong with her? Could he even do anything about it...?

MC shot up straight, and when she saw Seven, she backed up as much as she could to where her back was pressed up against the headrest.

"MC!" Seven exclaimed. He went to hug her, but the fear in her eyes told him not to. "MC, what's wrong?"

"You... who are you? And where am I? And _what_ kind of name is MC?"

Looking at the stranger, all she wanted to do was hug him, but didn't know why.

"MC, it's me, Seven. We're at my house. We need to go back to Rika's apartment."

At the mention of that woman's name, she felt extremely angry.

"Who the fuck is Rika? She sounds like a bitch."

"MC..." He inched his way closer to her, but she held her hand out.

"Stay away from me, you weirdo!"

She could see the heartbreak in his eyes.

He lowered his head and took out his phone to go to the messenger. He opened all of the photos and showed them to her.

"This is Yoosung. He's addicted to League of Legends and goes to college. He's the youngest."

She stayed quiet as he showed her pictures of familiar strangers.

"This is Jaehee. She works for a big company and is always stressed. You are her best friend."

He showed another picture.

"This is Jumin. He's Jaehee's boss. He's not a bad guy. He's just extremely practical."

He showed one last picture.

"This is Zen. He's extremely caring, just like the other RFA members, and a narcicisst. He's also a good singer, and an actor."

He turned his phone off and put it face-down on the bed.

He sighed. "And I'm Seven. I'm a hacker who does dangerous things and has no one. The RFA are like my family. Tonight, I saw my brother for the first time in years, and he threatened to take you away from me. I... I love you." He grabbed her hand. "Please remember, MC. The RFA needs you..."

She squeezed his hand. "Of _course_ I remember you, Seven." Her eyes teared up.

He smiled and hugged her. "God... I was so afraid you forgot forever..."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and smiled.

He backed away and looked at her. "What the hell happened?"


	9. Chapter Nine

**You guys know all the stuff I said before about uploads and stuff like that? Yeah. Forget it. I'm just going to upload whenever I have a new chapter. Soooo yeah. Still, I would love to read comments and notes about how I can improve my writing!**

/\

"The game." She said.

"The game? What about it?"

"Something must have happened to it. I don't feel Jade's control over me anymore!"

"Who's Jade?"

"She's the woman who was playing the game. I don't think any of this was supposed to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Saeran appearing at the apartment, all that was said, _that_ stuff was programmed. But my reaction and you being there before he was, wasn't. Normally, if the MC was threatened, she would stay calm but... I... I was scared..." She paused. "It must have broken the game somehow."

"Well, if the game's broken, then how are we here? Wouldn't something have happened to us?"

"Well, I'm free now. Or, for the time being. I think that's the only thing that really happened." A big smile suddenly appeared on her face. "I want to change my name."

"Oh? To what?"

"Aisling. It's Irish."

"Okay. Aisling." He tried it out. "Aisling. Aisling."

She smiled. "I love when you say my name." She giggled.

"As much fun as this is, we have to go back to the apartment." Seven said.

"No!" She exclaimed. "We... we can't go back to the apartment."

"What? Why not? I need to fix the security system."

"The game. I'm supposed to be there right now, so if we go back, it'll fix itself. Please, don't make me go back there. I like this feeling. The feeling of being... alive. All that time I was just saying and doing what someone told me to. I felt so empty... I never want to feel like that again."

"Okay. But what do we do now?"

She smiled in an innocently teasing way. "You said you love me."

His face became red. "Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

She chuckled. "It's okay. I'm just teasing." She lightly pushed his arm.

"Are you feeling okay, though? Your nose was bleeding and you passed out..."

"Yeah. I'm fine now."

"I'll get you something, okay? I'll be right back."

"Seven, please. I feel fine. I don't need-"

"Stay here, Aisling." He walked out of the room.

He knew just how to make her heart beat quickly. She couldn't help but smile to herself. "Aisling. My name is Aisling. Not MC, but Aisling." She nodded to herself.

It was a new beginning for her. Maybe. But what if the game fixed itself? Would it reset and go back to the way it was? Would she become MC again? She couldn't stand the thought. She sobbed silently by herself as she felt her heart break at the thought of leaving Seven... Again...

/\

 **Can anyone name the movie I got the name "Aisling" from? It's pronounced "Ashling" and she's a farie! ;)**


	10. Chapter Ten

**So I want to thank those who have followed the story! If I don't list your name, I am extremely sorry, but these are the only names that I have gotten emails/notifications about. Xiao123, jazminayaka96, and Ilyanaax. Thank you guys! Again, if I didn't get your name, I am so sorry!**

/\

Knowing that Seven would be back soon, she wiped her face and tried to calm herself down. Her nose was still a little runny, so she wiped it on the underside of her shirt and took deep breaths.

"Hey, I have some like, Asprin and Ibuprofen. How's your head feelin'?" Seven asked, once he entered the room.

Aisling jumped slightly. "Oh. Uh, good."

Seven looked at her questioningly. "Okay... but are you okay? It looks like you were crying." He sat down on the bed.

She shifted away slightly. "Yeah. Today has just been," she sighed. "extremely stressful."

He chuckled. "Tell me about it. Well, if you're not gonna take those, at least drink some water. Your nose was bleeding, after all."

"Do you even _have_ water?" She joked. "All I've ever heard you talk about drinking is PhD Pepper."

"I-I have tap water!" He exclaimed, jokingly.

She laughed and her head hurt a little. "Actually, lemme have some of those. My head hurts a little." She held out her palm and he put some pills in it. "Thanks." She went to swallow them.

"Wait." Seven said before she could continue.

"Shouldn't you drink them with water?"

She looked down at them carefully. "Oh yeah, huh? I don't know why, but every time I look at these, I feel nervous and depressed."

"Then stop looking at them and come to the kitchen to get some water." He stood up and held his hand out to her.

She chuckled and took it. "Thanks." She said, sarcastically.

"What?"

"I was perfectly capable of getting up by myself."

"Then why did you take my hand?" He teased.

She blushed and lowered her head so her long, brown hair covered her face. "So where's the kitchen?" She laughed awkwardly.

He chuckled. "Here, I'll show you."

He led her to the large kitchen he had.

"Wow. Do you like, never cook because you can make _soo_ many cakes in here!"

He chuckled. "No, I don't but I really should. We should make cakes in the shape of cats!"

"Yes!" She exclaimed and pointed at him enthusiastically.

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, anyway. Where are the cups?"

"Oh. Here." He opened a cabinet and handed her one.

"Thanks."

When she brought the pills to her lips, her heart beat fast, and she found herself not being able to do it. Tears streamed down her face.

"Aisling? Are you alright?" Seven asked.

"No." She cried. "And the worst part is, I don't even know why." She chuckled.

A look of sadness, worry, and confusion came across Seven's face.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**TRIGGER WARNING!!!! SUGGESTIONS OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE!!!!!**

/\

Seven rushed to her side before she fell to the ground, still sobbing.

"Aisling, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked.

"I-I don't know! I just feel so angry, and sad, and depressed and hurt! Make it go away, Seven!" She screamed.

His heart broke at her words and he wondered if she could hear it.

"I-I don't know how..." He admitted.

All he could do was hold her in his arms until she stopped crying and screaming about how much pain she was in.

"It feels like my heart is breaking, Seven! Please, make it stop!"

He hugged her tighter and held on for as long as he had to.

~

After a long day of work, Jade set her bag down and fell onto her bed. She hated working in customer service, most of the people she had to deal with were assholes. There would be the occassional nice lady, but just rarely.

She sighed and picked up her phone. "Lemme see what I missed." She opened the Mystic Messenger app, but all she could see was binary numbers.

 **01001101 01000011 01101000 01100001 0111001 01100010 01110010 01101111 01101011 01100101 01101110 01100110 01110010 01100101 01100101**

"What the hell? What does this mean? I think it's just broken. Should I email the makers or something? I have no idea. Maybe not. I'm not sure they'd be able to understand me." She chuckled to herself. "Maybe I should just uninstall and reinstall it."

She looked at the icon and it brought a smile to her face, which quickly faded away.

"It's so stupid how happy this app makes me... Ugh." She took off her shirt and looked at the scars on her arm. "I can't believe it was only a month ago that I..." She trailed off and slammed her head onto her pillow. "Maybe I should..." She sat up and shook her head. "No! Stop thinking like that! You are _fine_! Your life isn't as bad as it used to be. Everything is _okay_."


	12. Chapter Twelve

"Shh... you're okay, Aisling. I'm here and you're safe. Everything will be alright." Seven told her as he held her in his arms.

Hearing his comforting words and voice, her breathing calmed and the tears stopped. She dropped the pills she was grasping onto before and put her head in her hands.

"I... god, Seven... I swear that was not me!" She said.

He stroked her head, "I know, but do you know what it _was_?"

She took a deep breath and looked up at him, "I guess some of Jade is still in me..."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was MC, I could feel everything that she was feeling. Her anger, her sadness, her happiness, excitement, _everything_. I could even hear what she was saying sometimes... she would talk about how the game helped her with her depression and at the mention of what Rika did, she would talk about her attempted suicide..." She looked down at the floor again, "I guess having those pills must have triggered that same feeling she felt when she tried to..." She trailed off.

"Hey. It's all over now. That wasn't even you." He thought for a moment. "You want to make a cat-shaped cake with me?" He hoped it would cheer her up.

She nodded, "Yeah. That sounds good." She smiled lightly.

"Okay. Now get up off the floor." He joked.

She shook her head, "No. Please, just a little longer..." She closed her eyes and placed her head on his chest.

"Okay." He said. "If you ever feel like that again though, feelings that aren't yours, come and find me, okay?"

"Okay." She said quietly.

She felt tired after crying so much, and sitting there with Seven was nice. She felt like sleeping, but then became afraid of what might happen if she did.

Would she wake up as MC again? Would something happen to Seven or the RFA or would the game reset?

She opened her eyes. "Let's make that cake."

"Are you ready now?"

She nodded.

"Okay."

They both stood up and looked around for the ingrediants and what they needed to make it.

"After we're done, we should send a picture to Jumin and say he can't have any." Seven suggested.

Aisling chuckled. "Isn't that a little mean?"

"I'm gonna let him. As a fellow cat lover, I understand the pain. I just meant as a joke."

She nodded slowly, "Ah, I see."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Being who they were, especially together, Seven and Aisling made a mess of the kitchen. Flour was all over the counters, on their hands, and somehow in Seven's hair. Needless to say, Seven dipped his fingers in the white icing before they put it on the cake so he could taste.

After it was done, they sent a picture of it to the chatroom.

 **Yoosung: OOOOH!!! You guys are making cake??**

 **Yoosung: I want some!!**

 **Zen: ...you have ruined one of the many things I love by turning it into a cat...**

 **Jaehee: Why is it a cat??**

 **Jumin: Its fur is white like Elizabeth the 3rd's.**

 **707: We thought you might like it, so we have declared**

 **707: THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY**

 **Yoosung: NOOOO!!!!! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO US!!!!!**

 **Zen: I'm okay with that. It's not good for my body anyway.**

 **Jaehee: Cake does sound good right now...even if it is in the shape of a cat...**

 **Jumin: I do not care about such things. You two enjoy that cake if you wish. I'm going to play with the real Elizabeth the 3rd.**

Jumin Han has left the chatroom.

 **Yoosung: I have to go too you guys. LOLOL is calling me!**

 **Yoosung: I still want that cake though...**

Yoosung has left the chatroom.

 **Zen: I have to leave too.**

 **Jaehee: Me too.**

 **Jaehee: You two did a good job.**

Zen has left the chat room.

Jaehee has left the chat room.

707 has left the chat room.

Aisling sighed. "At least now we know that everyone is okay."

"Yeah."

Aisling tried to wipe her shirt off, but ended up smearing more flour on it.

"Damn it." She said, under her breath.

"You can just wear one of my shirts." Seven suggested.

Her face turned pink, "No, i-it's fine like this. Don't worry about it." She turned towards the cake, "What you have to worry about is how much cake I'm going to leave you." She pulled out two forks from a drawer.

He chuckled and put his jacket over her shoulders as he grabbed the fork. "Thanks."

She stood still for a minute, then put her arms through the big sleeves and zipped it up. "Thanks..." she said quietly.

Without putting it on plates, they started eating.

Aisling moaned, "This is good. I can't believe you don't cook more often."

"Well, you helping was a big factor."

"Now, that's not true."

"It is. I didn't even know _how_ to make a cake or how to shape it into a cat head."

"I was just guessing for the shape. I have no idea either." She admitted. Eating made her sleepy and she yawned.

"You should probably sleep. Today has been a mess."

"No. I'm fine." She paused. "Where do you keep your PhD Pepper?" She _had_ to stay awake. She just _had to_.

"In the fridge. But it's not too good for you."

" _You_ drink it all the time!"

"I meant for _you_. Especially with all this sugar already."

She opened the fridge, pulled out two cans, and handed one to him.

He took it hesitantly and they immediately started drinking.

Aisling chugged hers, hoping to get the sugar rush right away while Seven watched carefully.

"You'll probably pass out from all the sugar." He said.

"Not if I drink a lot." She said.

He paused. "Aisling, what's going on?"

"What do you mean...?"

"You're acting strange. Is it because of what happened earlier?"

"No! It's... what would happen if I fell asleep? I mean, I passed out earlier and woke up as Aisling. What if me falling asleep has bigger consequences?"

He could see the fear and sadness in her eyes.

"Nothing will happen. You passed out _because_ you broke free. Not the other way around."

"But, Seven! If I pass out and become MC and the game resets again, I won't remember this, I won't be Aisling again, and I won't be with you again!"

Silence filled the room.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

"That won't happen. I won't let it." He told her after a while.

"But you can't control it! If it happens, we won't be able to stop it...!" Her heartbeat quickened and she found her hands clenched into fists. She sighed. "I need to go to the bathroom. Where is it?"

He pointed her in the right direction and watched her walk off. While she was in there, he decided to clean up.

Aisling sat on the toilet lid and put her head in her hands.

"This can't happen. This can't happen. This can't happen." She said to herself.

She sighed, got up, rolled her sleeves up and let the water pour onto her skin. She cupped her hands under it, and when she looked at one of her arms, she saw scars that she had back when she was MC. They had gone away after she had woken up, and them reappearing again scared her.

She shook her head and splashed the water onto her face. She pulled down her sleeves, breathed in deeply, and once she was calmer, she walked back into the kitchen.

The flour that was all over the counters was gone, along with the cans of PhD Pepper. She saw Seven in the living room, picking up the rest of them.

He looked up from the floor at her, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Better." She replied. "I can help you if you want."

"No, it's fine. It's my mess. You're a guest here so just eat the cake while I take care of this."

She walked over to the living room and started picking up empty cans and chip bags, "Stop taking all the burden. Plus, since I'm a guest, I should help out. It's only fair." She smiled.

He nodded and they continued to clean.

~

They finished late at night, and Aisling could barely keep her eyes open.

"You can sleep in my bed. I have work to do anyway." Seven said.

"Really? But it's so late. Plus, you were up early anyway, right?"

"Not really. I passed out yesterday and woke up at 12 in the afternoon."

"Oh. Still, I feel bad sleeping when you're not."

"It's fine, I promise. Just go sleep. And you don't need to worry about Saeran. This place is way more secure than the apartment."

It was still odd saying his brother's name. Especially when referring to him as someone who tried to hurt her.

"Fine." She said quietly. She took off his jacket and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He looked at her arm and pulled it closer so he could see clearly. "What is this? These weren't here before."

She looked away from him. "They're from Jade..."

He looked back up at her and the fear was displayed clearly on his face.

He let go of her arm, "So... what does that mean...?"

She looked towards the floor, "I don't know..."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"So, are you going to turn back into MC...?"

"I don't know..."

"Does this mean the game is going to reset?"

"I don't know!" She looked up at him and tears were forming in her eyes. "This has never happened before! At least I don't think..." One of her hands was holding her wrist, keeping her arms close to her body.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. This was all so confusing. He could tell just by what she was saying that she didn't have much time left, and he thought she knew so too.

"Just sleep it off. I'm sure it'll be fine in the morning."

"What? But Seven-"

"It's probably just withdrawl. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"I-"

He grabbed both of her shoulders and looked at her, "Aisling, trust me." He whispered.

"Okay... I-I trust you." She nodded weakly.

"Good. Now go to sleep, please."

"Okay. Goodnight, Seven. And, thank you."

"Goodnight, Aisling."

She walked away and disappeared into his bedroom.

He sat down at his computer and started typing to figure out Mint Eye's location based off of the email Jaehee recieved. He snacked on his chips like he usually did, along with some of the cake he and Aisling had made.

All he could think about was her though. He knew that she was going to go back to being MC, and soon. That meant that the game would reset once again, just earlier. He wasn't ready for that. He wasn't ready to lose her again.

A piercing screech came from his room and he rushed to see what was wrong.

"Aisling! What happened, what's wrong?!"

She was writhing on the bed, clutching her stomach. She kept screaming, over and over again.

He sat her up and wrapped his arms around her.

"Aisling, tell me what's wrong!"

"It feels like someone's tearing at my insides!" She screamed, and tears ran down the side of her face. Blood started to come out of her nose and ears.

"Aisling!" Seven exclaimed.

She screamed at what seemed as loud as she could. She then stopped, and her hands fell. She panted and tried to catch her breath.

"Aisling!" He shook her slightly, "Are you okay?! Can you hear me?! What happened?!"

"I don't know... I think I'm turning back..." She weakly smiled and placed a hand on Seven's cheek.

He grasped it in his, "No, you'll be fine. You're going to be fine." He weakly smiled and tears ran down his cheeks.

"We both know that's not true." She told him. "I just want to say, that this has been the best day of my life. And it's all because of you, Seven."

"Don't say that. Don't talk as if you're going to die. You're going to be fine. I'll get you to a hospital!"

"You know that won't help. There's nothing they can do... I love you, Seven."

He sniffled, "I love you too, Aisling."

"You know, I've always wondered... what your real name is." She smiled.

He smiled back at her, "It's Saeyoung... my name is Saeyoung."

"Saeyoung." She said. "Saeyoung, Saeyoung."

He chuckled lightly, "I love it when you say my name."

She lighly chuckled as well. "I love you, Saeyoung." She kissed him, and suddenly, her body went limp.

"Aisling..." He shook her, "Aisling! Aisling, no!" He screamed.

He screamed until his lungs gave out and his throat hurt like hell. He hugged her as tightly as he could as he waited for the game to reset.

~

"It's the first day! Ten days until the party!" A woman's voice said.

Saeyoung sat up quickly in his chair and looked around him. His face was wet with tears, and his arms were positioned as if he was holding someone who wasn't there.

His house was still a mess with chip bags and empty soda cans. His glasses were messily placed on his face, and the cake from the kitchen was gone.

"Aisling..." He said, quietly.

His phone chimed with messages from the chatroom.

707 has entered the chatroom.

 **MC: Hello...**

 **Yoosung: Gahhhh it's talking!!**

 **Zen: So it's not two smartphones.**.

 **Jumin Han: Who is it?**

 **Yoosung: Find out what it is!**

 **Jaehee: How did you find out about this place? Where did you download the application?**

Everything was as it usually was. MC was there, and everyone was hostile towards her like always. The only difference in this was Saeyoung could not stop crying. He was happy to talk to her again, and for that, he smiled through the tears.

After everyone was done talking, he decided to message her privately.

 **Seven: Hey, MC! It's Seven! Although, you probably already knew that! I just wanted to say, welcome to the RFA!**

 **Seven: Things certainly are going to change around here!**

 **MC: In a good way, right...?**

 **Seven: Of course! And it's all because of you!**

He looked over at the CCTV, and saw her smile.


End file.
